Abstract:
This study was conducted to assess the contractual impact of linear distribution of interim
payments for earthwork activities in design and build projects on management of the projects.
Furthermore, the study has tried to identify the significant factors influencing the distribution of
interim payments for earthwork activity in design and build projects. In most projects, a large
amount of money is linearly distributed per unit length of the road, while the workload is not
linearly distributed per unit length of the road. Depending on the nature of road sections where
the Contractor starts the work, the linear distribution of the payment for the Earthwork activity
results in either front loading or delay of some portion of money for the already executed work
quantity. Some clauses of the contractual documents; ERA Spec Master and FIDIC are in
contradiction to this fact. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to assess contractual impact of
linear distribution of payment for earthwork activities in road projects on project management.
The study adapts descriptive and exploratory research designs which involve both qualitative
and quantitative data so as to describe and examine the findings to come up with conclusions
and recommendations for implementation. The result of the study shows that Design and Build
Project Delivery Method has advantage over other delivery methods and its application is
increasing. On other hand Earthwork quantity is not linear over the length of the project and
linear distribution of payment may cause frontloading and delay of payment and this affects both
Impact on the Condition of Contract and Ethiopian roads administration Specification Master.
The study concludes that both the Condition of Contract and Ethiopian roads administration
Specification Master are affected by the linear distribution of payments for earthwork over
linear length of the project. The study finally recommends to develop some guidelines for the
distribution during tendering and work program evaluation, by computing the quantities prior to
the execution of the physical work, or else to employ other project delivery methods than Design
and Build.
